A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8618514 Details
Epoch: 404 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 89335577 epoch_slot_no: 170777 block_no: 8618337 slot_leader_id: 4691946 size: 34565 time: 2023-04-07 21:11:08 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x11c7e469a2511e5083aaafd68b2b1bbdd1fc8c48dedef7771233c75913b7730eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19yzsxj0wpvns57zq6zw626z27amrnfqmy5j5h7ywj9u693qjzs8s4a24t2 op_cert: \xd0e19c2ea1b69b976b6a2bb04ecb922b99f2623834703acac2213e22965d2fe2 op_cert_counter: 26